There's always room for gelatin.
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Gelatin is an animal product made by boiling the connective tissues, hide and bones of animals, usually beef cattle. Back before the 20th century, home cooks made jellied dishes with sheets of prepared gelatin, which in turn had to be boiled and clarified and strained through jelly bags. In 1890, according to the Kraft Web site (the company owns both Knox and Jell-O brands), a man named Charles Knox invented powdered gelatin "after watching his wife's laborious effort to extract gelatin by traditional cooking methods." This unflavored powdered gelatin, still available today, made possible all kinds of dishes, from aspics with meat or seafood to jellied salads to sweet jewel-like desserts, and home cooks went to town.
You too can go to town, making dishes that are a lot more appealing than tongue in aspic (a recipe I found in a 1930s cookbook). Forget the canned fruit in red gelatin you grew up with. Plain old gelatin can take you places you never thought it could.
The recipes here come from "Luscious Berry Desserts" by Lori Longbotham (Chronicle Books, 2006) and from "Icebox Desserts" by Lauren Chattman (Harvard Common Press, 2005).
EASIEST BERRY TERRINE
5 cups mixed ripe berries
2 cups cranberry-raspberry juice
2 (1/4-ounce) envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Cook's note: To unmold jellied desserts, run a table knife around the inside of the container (ramekins, custard cups or pan), and dip the bottom of the container in hot water for about 5 seconds. Invert onto an individual serving plate or platter. Shake gently to release the dessert.
Rinse and drain the berries. Stem or hull them, as needed, and cut into smallish pieces if very large (e.g., giant strawberries). Set aside.
Pour 1/2 cup of the juice into a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over it and let soften for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, stir together the sugar and another 1/2 cup of the juice until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and add the gelatin mixture and lemon juice, stirring until the gelatin is dissolved. Stir in the remaining 1 cup juice.
Place the berries in an 8-1/2-by-4-inch loaf pan. Pour the juice mixture over them and press the berries down so they are submerged. Cover and refrigerate until set and thoroughly chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
Unmold onto a serving platter and slice.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Recipe from "Luscious Berry Desserts" by Lori Longbotham (Chronicle Books, 2006)
VANILLA CREAMS WITH LIME-SUGAR BLACKBERRIES
1 quart half-and-half
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
3 (1/4-ounce) envelopes unflavored gelatin
1-1/2 teaspoons pure-vanilla extract or vanilla paste (available in specialty-food stores)
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
4 cups ripe blackberries
In a saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the half-and-half, 1/2 cup of the sugar and the salt just to a boil. Remove from the heat and sprinkle 1 envelope of the gelatin over the mixture and whisk until dissolved. Repeat with remaining 2 envelopes.
Pour the mixture through a fine strainer set over a large bowl, discarding the solids that remain in the strainer. Whisk the vanilla into the strained mixture. Cool to room temperature. Divide the mixture evenly among eight 6-ounce ramekins or custard cups. Cover tightly and refrigerate until set and thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
Process the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a mini food processor with the lime zest, or simply stir the sugar and zest together in a bowl. Toss with the berries and let stand for at least 15 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Unmold the custards and place on serving plates. Spoon the blackberries and their juices around the creams and serve.
Yield: 8 servings
Recipe from "Luscious Berry Desserts" by Lori Longbotham (Chronicle Books, 2006)
EASY BLANCMANGE
2 cups whole milk
1 (1/4-ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons (about 2 ounces) almond paste (available in the baking aisle of most supermarkets)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
Pour 1/2 cup of the milk into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let it sit for about 3 minutes.
Prepare a cold-water bath by filling a large bowl with ice water. Set aside.
Combine the remaining 1-1/2 cups of milk, the almond paste and the sugar in a medium-sized heavy saucepan and heat, whisking constantly, until just boiling. Remove from the heat and whisk in the milk-gelatin mixture until dissolved and smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in the almond extract. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a medium-sized heatproof bowl, pressing down on any solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Place the bowl in the cold-water bath and let stand, whisking occasionally, until the mixture is completely cool and is just beginning to thicken.
In a small bowl, using an electric mixer, whip the cream until it just holds stiff peaks. Gently fold into the almond mixture, taking care not to deflate the cream. Divide among eight 6-ounce ramekins or custard cups. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours or overnight.
Unmold onto individual serving plates. Serve plain or with fruit or berries.
Yield: 8 servings
Recipe from "Icebox Desserts" by Lauren Chattman (Harvard Common Press, 2005)
CAPPUCCINO PANNA COTTA
3 cups half-and-half
1/3 cup freshly ground espresso roast coffee beans
1/4 cup sugar
1 (1/4-ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 teaspoon pure-vanilla extract
Cook's note: If you don't have a double boiler, improvise with a metal bowl that will fit into a saucepan. Make sure the bowl is large enough so it sits above, not in, the simmering water.
In a saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine 1-1/2 cups of the half-and-half, the ground espresso and the sugar, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Bring just to a boil, remove from the heat, and let stand for 5 minutes. Strain through a coffee filter into a heatproof bowl.
Pour the remaining 1-1/2 cups half-and-half into the top of a double boiler (see note), sprinkle the gelatin on top and let sit for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 2 inches of water to a simmer in the bottom of the double boiler. Set the top of the double boiler over (not in) the simmering water. Add the strained coffee mixture. Whisk until the gelatin is completely dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Add vanilla extract. Divide the mixture among six 6-ounce ramekins or custard cups. Let cool slightly, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours or overnight.
Unmold onto individual serving plates and serve immediately.
Yield: 6 servings
Recipe from "Icebox Desserts" by Lauren Chattman (Harvard Common Press, 2005)
Marialisa Calta is the author of "Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family" (Perigee, 2005). For more information, go to www.marialisacalta.com.
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